NASA launched a space probe Thursday with a seven year mission to land on an asteroid, collect samples and possibly discover more about the creation of life, NBC News reported.

The 19-story rocket, built and flown for NASA by United Launch Alliance, lifted off at 7:05 p.m. (2305 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, hurling the satellite explorer Osiris-Rex on its voyage to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu.